Education: Alliance High School (1969), Bowling Green State University (1973) and University of Toledo College of Law (1976)

Alliance C...

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Robert Lavery

Born: 1951Education: Alliance High School (1969), Bowling Green State University (1973) and University of Toledo College of Law (1976)Alliance City Council president: 1988 through 1991Alliance Law Director: 1992 through 1995Alliance Municipal Court judge: 1996 through 2013Family: Wife, Kathie, and two children

With the tone of a long-time acquaintance, warnings are given to criminal defendants in Alliance Municipal Court to begin making fine payments.

A few defendants who had stayed out of trouble for several months are encouraged to stay on track.

But those who have yet to meet court-ordered obligations — fines and anger-management classes — hear the familiar "get 'er done," from the man who has been handing down justice here for 18 years.

Judge Robert Lavery is concluding 26 years as an elected public official in this city. That includes three six-year terms as judge, four years each as city law director and as City Council president. He chose not to seek re-election as judge.

"I have no plans to run again," said Lavery, a Republican. "No more politics."

His successor will be Andrew Zumbar, also a Republican and currently city law director.

"Judge Lavery was an excellent jurist," Zumbar said. "And I have very big shoes to fill. We are going to do the very best we can to build up on the programs he started and implement some new ones."

BUSY DOCKET

The smallest of the three municipal courts in Stark County, Alliance Municipal Court has one judge.

The court had 8,891 cases in 2012, according to Ohio Supreme Court records. Of that, 4,722 were traffic cases, 2,464 were criminal and 1,705 were civil matters.

That compares to the 29,015 cases filed in Canton Municipal Court in 2012. That court has four judges. Massillon Municipal Court took in 16,769 cases during the same year. The Massillon-based court has two judges.

Another area one-judge municipal court is the Carrollton-based Carroll County Municipal Court, which had 3,075 cases in 2012.

But the population of the Alliance Municipal Court district is about 42,400 compared to the 28,800 or so living in the Carroll County Municipal Court jurisdiction.

To help relieve the case load, Lavery initiated a magistrate position in his court. Jean Madden, who also performs bailiff duties, has served as magistrate.

"That is not unique to Alliance," Lavery said. "We weren't big enough to have it full-time. She is part bailiff and part magistrate."

Madden, a former defense attorney, will retire along with Lavery.

Lavery, in Madden's opinion, "absolutely" made the correct decision to create a magistrate position.

"The case load here is pretty close to 10,000 a year," she said. "And it is a one-judge court. Can you really do your best work if you have so much going on?"

To move cases and matters along, Madden on occasion would hold hearings and non-jury trials in a small courtroom while Lavery held court in the main courtroom.

"Sometimes we double-book things," Madden said.

LONG CAREER WITH CITY

Page 2 of 2 - A graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law, Lavery started his career as a political office holder as City Council president. He scored a close 13-vote election victory over his Democratic Party opponent in 1987.

His next two elections — 1989 and 1991 — he ran without opposition. In the later election, Lavery claimed the city law director's position.

Four years later, in 1995, Lavery prevailed in a bitter election to oust incumbent Municipal Judge Michael Tangi, a Democrat.

As a judge, Lavery has been "very receptive to all circumstances," local defense attorney Shawn Robertson said. "I would say Judge Lavery's approach would be to know what the cause of the criminal activity would be. Was there substance abuse? Judge Lavery initiated anger management for both men and women, and would make that a condition of their bond. Also, the same was true for substance-abuse education."

During his 18 years as judge here, Lavery did not run or seek a higher-level court.

"I never stuck my name in consideration for appointment," he said. "I was very happy here. I didn't seek higher office."

As for the future, Lavery's plans are to make himself available for substitute, or visiting judge, assignments in area courtrooms.

Judge Edward Elum, who become a judge in Massillon Municipal Court the same year as Lavery, said he has watched and learned from his Alliance counterpart over the years.

"Alliance is really going to miss a great jurist," said Elum, a Democrat who is about to start his fourth term. "He has done a tremendous job for that court. He brought them into the 21st Century. He has improved the community with those community-service workers. I have got some ideas from Bob. Right now, in his building, he has various community service agencies."